Happy ScarVi release date, everyone! I worked hard to get this out today, but I'll admit the end feels a bit rushed. Sorry about that. I also made a bit of a timeline mistake last chapter that makes it clash with the new information below. Also made some mistakes last chapter regarding pokemon English/Japanese names. I'll go back and fix it all later.
So the same thing I said in chapter 1 applies. While I may write the English equivalent, just pretend they're using their native language (in the current case, Japanese/Kantonian). Different language names will only be brought up when I want to emphasize something.
(All opening notes from here onward were written before today)
Okay, so that note of Gen/Riley's age in the last chapter made me realize I should really figure all of that stuff out before I get any further than I already have. I already have a pretty good idea of where I want everyone to be age-wise, which is why I mentioned it in the first place, but I needed to get it all written down before I messed up somewhere which...yeah, I kind of did already (but as of the posting of this, it's been fixed).
Other than the oops on Gen/Riley's age, I should also point out that in the last chapter, it said Amy was five when she met Ash and Gary in school. I will admit that there was a bit of a slip on that part as well since children in Japan typically don't start their first year of school until they're between the ages of six and seven, but it should still work since preschool is very much a thing there as well.
So...just pretend that Amy met them in preschool the year before she would have started first grade. Or you can pretend schools in the pokeverse work differently because of the fact that ten-year-olds can leave home. In the grand scheme of things, it's honestly not going to make that much of a difference.
That being said, let me tell you some ages and dates for some characters (others will be released later). Ash's birthday year in this fic is 1986 because that is ten years before Red/Green came out in Japan. This would make him ten on the actual year it came out, despite him not setting out until the year after because he missed the cutoff date (although the first episode of the anime did premier in 1997, so...it still works). I just thought that would be a nice little nod to give.
I'm basing everyone else's birthdays around that.
Anyway, let's not dawdle anymore. This is what I've come up with so far. I also came up with some English names for my OCs because...I don't know why. So, the names in parentheses would be the English dub equivalents:
1941
September 8- Yukinari Okido (Samuel Oak) born
(TBD)- Kikuko (Agatha) born
1963
July 5- Celyn Rose born
1964
February 8- Lysandre born
July 10- Daiki Okido (Alfonse Oak) born
October 17- Augustine Platane (Augustine Sycamore) born
December 4- Isamu Tabimoto (Hector Ketchum) born
1965
March 1- Hanako Toyoshima (Delia Cashel- later Delia Ketchum) born
May 22- Diantha born
October 23- Peony Rose born
1966
June 15- Aurelia Platane (Aurelia Sycamore- later Aurelia Rose) born
1975
May 4- Eileen of Rota born
1980
February 7- Wataru Fusube (Lance Blackthorn) born
April 24- Daigo Tsuwabuki (Steven Stone) born
July 19- Shirona Oohira (Cynthia) born
1981
January 15- Gen (Riley) born
1982
September 14- Takeshi Yamagata (Brock Harrison) born
1986
April 6- Shigeru Okido (Gary Oak) born
May 8- Amelia Rose born
May 22- Satoshi Tabimoto (Ash Ketchum) born
July 14- Kasumi Mizutani (Misty Williams) born
(Is her last name really Williams? It's actually listed as such on some wiki pages, but...I dunno, it just sounds off to me)
1987
March 24- Serena Etienne born
So...yeah. Please read on and I hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 3
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It was all I could do to keep myself from gaping.
Gen, or Riley (and the sheer disbelief I felt at this couldn't be emphasized enough), didn't look that much older than I was, which was probably the most surreal part. When Ash had met him in the anime, there had been a pretty big age difference, but...Ash was still a kid. For Riley to be close to our ages right now should have meant that Ash would have to have been well past ten when they'd first met in the show.
Yes, I knew keeping him young was a decision made by the producers in order to keep it geared towards children, but now that I was here- or more that now that I was here and I knew none of us would be ten forever -It suddenly hit me just how much things were going to change with an older Ash going to those regions.
Hoo, boy...
All of this sort of passed through my mind in the time it took Riley to turn to me, curiosity plain as day on his face.
"Can you really understand him?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Hmm..."
I jerked back in surprise when he suddenly stepped forward and put a hand on my head, expression scrunched in concentration. "Hey! What're you-"
"I knew it. You have Aura."
Wait.
Hold up.
...I had what now?!
He must have seen my utter shock and mistaken it for confusion because he stepped back and smiled. "Aura. It's a latent power that all humans have, but the amount varies, and not many people train it to where they can...uh..."
He paused and then seemed to really notice what he was saying- and the fact that he was saying it to who he probably thought was a normal six-year-old girl.
"It's...kind of like a pokemon move," he amended somewhat awkwardly. "Only we can use it too, and if you have enough, you can use it to talk to certain pokemon, like Riolu and Lucario."
I was starting to get the feeling that kid Riley didn't have a lot of children his own age to hang out with...
I supposed it was lucky for him that I wasn't a typical little girl then.
"Actually...that's not why I can understand him."
He blinked in confusion. "What?
I fidgeted, wondering if I should really be admitting this when I'd literally only just told my family earlier today. Then again, this was Riley, who- despite being the slightly awkward duck he was at the moment -would grow up to be pretty much a modern-day knight in all but name. I could trust him, right? I was pretty sure I could.
Besides, I really wanted to hear more about aura and the fact that I had it.
"Well...I can understand all pokemon. Not just aura-using ones," I clarified.
His eyes widened. "How?"
"The pokemon in the forest near my home taught me," I explained, pointedly not mentioning the fact that I'd had to repeatedly sneak away for them to do so. "I asked them to."
"You...asked them to?"
"They were surprisingly agreeable about it."
Riley stared a moment, then turned to look at Riolu, who only gave a sort of half-shrug and nodded.
"You'd be surprised at how many humans don't think to do that," he said. "To be fair, it depends a lot on the kind of person who asks, but if we think they're alright, then we don't have a problem with it."
"And you didn't tell me this before why?"
"Because you didn't ask."
Riley gave Riolu the stink eye, and the action was so unexpected that drew a laugh out of me.
Of course, that was more or less when Stoutland came barreling into the square we were in, hackles raised and snarl fully in place as he came to a stop between Riolu and me.
"Defend yourself quickly, young aura wielder, or you soon may find yourself unable to."
Riolu's eyes widened, and he scampered back to Riley, who, to his credit and despite the wary expression, took a protective step forward.
"Wait, Stoutland!" I yelped, rushing forward to stand in front of him. "Riolu just got excited that I could understand him! He didn't mean to cause trouble!"
I grew nervous as Stoutland's gaze never left Riolu, but a small part of me was warm with affection that he would go so far if he ever thought I was in danger. Coming from a laid-back, easy-going (and slightly lazy) pokemon like him, it really showed how much he cared about me, you know?
Finally, after a long, tense few seconds, Stoutland huffed and backed off, though he still kept himself pressed close to my side.
"Were it not for your kind's noble history, as well as the fact that you are still a pup yourself, I would have attacked without hesitation or regret. You would do well to remember this before deciding to take off with a member of someone's pack without warning."
"R-Right. Got it."
"I guess I should explain," I told Riley, gently petting away Stoutland's remaining agitation as I did so. "Riolu brought me here kind of suddenly, and Stoutland was just worried. Sorry for the scare."
"Riolu," Riley groaned, covering the top half of his face with his hand. "You didn't."
As if to prove that very statement wrong, the rest of my family caught up.
"Amelia!"
I didn't protest as Mama swept me up into a tight hug, knowing she'd probably been worried out of her mind in the time I'd been gone.
"I'm okay, Mama," I assured her. "Riolu just wanted me to meet his friend."
"I'm really sorry for the trouble he's caused," Riley was quick to apologize, bowing a bit as he did so. "Riolu was just supposed to be picking something up for our teacher, but he tends to get sidetracked easily."
"Hey!"
"Don't even try to deny it."
Maybe it was because of my own reveal earlier, but it seemed Mama, Papa, and Uncle were even quicker to catch on to the fact that Riley seemed to understand more than just body language than they'd been with me.
"Wait, you can understand pokemon too?" Papa asked, his eyes widening.
"Er, well, not like Am- uh...your daughter can, from what she's told me. I can only understand pokemon like Riolu and Lucario because of my aura training, and it's kind of a recent thing."
"Aura?"
"A lifeforce of sorts," a low voice cut in, making all of us jump. "All living things have it, though for humans, it's usually not anything more than what's needed to survive. Gen- and your daughter, from the feel of it -just happen to be exceptions to that."
The man who walked into the clearing was...tall.
Granted, I was a kid again, but I was sure even if I were still at my previous height, he'd still be tall to me (I was sure I'd be a bit taller this time around. I mean, I had the Sycamore genes, right? Right?). Looking past that, he also called attention to himself by the fact that he had blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a sharp facial structure more akin to Uncle Augustine's than the slightly rounder ones Isamu or Daiki had. He looked like a knight straight out of a fairy tale. Figures he'd live here in the castle.
Wait-
"Master!" Gen exclaimed, quickly falling into a bow with Riolu. "I'm sorry! I know we were to meet you, but-!"
My eyes, already wide with the recent realization that we were in Aldoran Castle's courtyard, managed to do so a little more. This man was Riley's master? As in master and apprentice master?
Again, once I actually heard these kinds of revelations, they made sense, but I couldn't honestly say I'd ever thought about who would have taught Riley what he knew before this moment.
"It's fine, Gen," the man (who was probably a flippin' Aura Guardian living in Aldoran flippin' Castle) dismissed, a slight smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "Things happen, and it looks like you've made an interesting friend."
The small squeak that escaped when he suddenly locked gazes with me was completely unintentional.
"Hmm..."
"Can we help you with something?" Papa asked, looking at him warily.
This seemed to be enough to snap him out of his thoughts as he looked away.
"Ah, sorry about that. I must have seemed rather strange just then. My name is Alastair. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"...Peony," Papa offered stiffly. "Now, mind telling me why you were staring at my daughter?"
"It's nothing nefarious, I assure you, but perhaps I should provide a bit more of an explanation. You see, I am part of a group known as the Aura Guardians. In the past, our ability to utilize aura allowed us to perform incredible feats, some of which might be considered supernatural by today's standards. As such, many of us were tasked with protecting others and preserving the peace."
"I believe I've heard of them," Uncle mused, hand on his chin. "It's said that quite a few settled down in Kalos after the Kanto-Hoenn War and after the death of Sir Aaron. Supposedly, it's the reason why we built so many castles. They were granted entry into our borders and made as comfortable as possible in exchange for their service." He laughed a bit sheepishly. "Personally, I always thought history tended to romanticize them a bit too much."
"That sounds about right," Alastair sighed, though the upward twitch of his lip told me he wasn't taking offense to that last part. "Many Aura Guardians did make their way to Kalos during the war as they had no desire to take part. Sir Aaron's death was more the reason they remained there, however. A few stayed in Kanto, but they made it more than clear that the Guardians were to be an independent and neutral party from then on- the only exception being the royal family of Rota. These days, we are still occasionally called upon, but our old duties usually fall to law enforcement."
"Why's that?" Papa asked. "If Aura Guardians could really do things that normal people can't, you'd think the police would jump at the chance of having one in their ranks. But I've never heard of anyone like that."
Alastair sighed, a more somber expression settling on his face.
"There's no doubt that Aura is an amazing and incredible gift. However, like any other skill or ability, one does need to be taught and trained to use it effectively. Unfortunately, the gap between those with that knowledge and those born with the capability to use it is getting wider and wider. Gen is actually the first aura apprentice the Guardians have had in well over fifteen years. I...was not expecting to come across anyone else."
In other words, the Aura Guardians were dying out.
That...really sucked. I had loved the idea of them from the moment they'd been introduced in the anime and was always so frustrated with the fact that they didn't explore Ash's aura more than when they needed it for a plot device. I mean, come on! Aura was almost like being able to use the Force (or chakra, or whatever you wanted to call it), which basically made the Aura Guardians the Jedi of the Pokemon world. Point was, it was beyond cool and basically like having superpowers. The writers were dumb for wasting the potential it had.
Something I was most definitely not going to do.
"Does that mean I can learn too?"
I immediately felt everyone staring at me, but I did my best to keep from fidgeting. Instead, I looked at Alastair with the most determined expression I could.
"Please?"
"Sweetheart-" Mama began hesitantly.
"Can I, Mama? I promise I'll work real hard!"
"I'm sure you would, but something like this isn't easy to do," she said. "We're only visiting, remember? Even if Mr. Alastair agreed to teach you, learning from him means we'd have to stay here a long time. Do you really want to move away from Pallet Town?"
She got me there, I thought with an inward wince. As much as I thought Rota was beautiful, I'd actually gotten pretty attached to Pallet. It was a small, peaceful town- so different from the constant rush and stress of city life that I remembered from before.
"If I may..." Alastair politely cut in. "While in the past we would have encouraged any students to remain with their instructors, as things stand, we can't really afford to force such restrictions if it means losing an opportunity to keep our numbers from dwindling further."
"You'd agree to teach her?"
"...One year," he said. "If you're able to spare one year here at the castle for her to get a firm grasp on the basics- and are willing to drop by every couple of months thereafter until she sets off on her journey -I'm sure we can make it work." He gave me a stern look. "But you need to be sure this is what you want. Aura training is not to be taken lightly, and I will not accept anything less than your absolute best. Furthermore, it's going to be even harder for you since you won't be here all the time like Gen. If you quit, then that's it. No second chances."
"I thought you said you couldn't afford to be picky," Papa grumbled.
"Not being picky with willing students is different from trying to teach those who give up at the slightest difficulty," he said simply. "If she proves unsuited for Aura training, we will simply ask permission to keep in contact with you, and that will be the end of it."
"I won't give up," I told him before my parents could respond. "I wanna learn!"
I couldn't help but think of all the crazy things that- if nothing changed too drastically -were going to happen in the future. While I had no idea if I was going to be with Ash during those events or even if I was going to be anywhere in the general area should they come to pass, that didn't change the fact that this world was dangerous in its own way. Just a few of the pokedex entries I remembered from before were proof enough of that (though I doubted the game descriptions would hold true here...hopefully). I would be stupid to turn away any advantage I was given.
But mostly, it was just because it was aura.
I really, really wanted to learn how to use aura.
"...Well, what do you think, Auri?" Papa asked Mama.
Mama was quiet as she mulled it over. Finally, she sighed lightly and looked down at me.
"I think we can manage to stay here for a while," she said thoughtfully before setting me down and kneeling next to me, looking me in the eyes. "But like Mr. Alastair said, this isn't going to be easy. Is this what you really want, Amelia? You need to be sure."
"I'm sure," I told her with the most serious expression I could manage.
"Oh, Sweetie," she laughed, cupping my chin. "If there was ever any doubt you're our daughter..."
Uncle snorted, and Papa laughed with a strangely rueful expression.
"Mama?"
She shook her head and looked up at Alastair with a smile. "We'll have to make a few calls to arrange things back home, but it looks like you've got yourself another student."
For the first time since I'd met him, Alastair smiled softly before he placed a fist over his heart and gave a bow.
"You have my gratitude, and those of the Aura Guardians, for the opportunity to guide your daughter on this path."
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"...- how fascinating! Well, I always knew she was special."
Shigeru looked up from the game he was playing to see his grandfather speaking to someone on the phone, a funny-looking smile on his face as he absently rubbed his chin. He seemed to listen to whatever was being said, then frowned thoughtfully.
"I couldn't say we've ever had such circumstances before, but I'm sure we could work something out before classes start next month. How long do you plan on staying?...I see...Mhmm...If that's the case, you'll have to enroll her there- but I'll be sure to speak to Ms. Tanaka to be certain on how to proceed." He paused, then laughed. "No need to thank me, I'm happy to help! Your daughter is a pleasure to have over and always so interested in my research!"
Oh, her.
Now that the mystery of who his grandfather was talking about was solved, he went back to his game with a huff of annoyance. It was bad enough that that weirdo had managed to get his gramps to let her visit whenever she wanted- the last thing he wanted was to waste any time on her that he didn't have to. They'd all be in school soon enough, and then he'd be stuck dealing with her and Satoshi being weird and stupid together.
He ignored the sting of jealousy with practiced ease and kept playing, tuning out most of the remaining conversation until he'd reached a save point.
"-be in good hands. I promise. Any plants that we should know to keep watered?...Do you really?! Would you mind if I took a few for myself? I wasn't aware Masara Town's soil conditions were favorable to Kalos-native berries, and I've heard those in particular are quite the treat!...Haha, I suppose so!...Of course. Take care, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to call...Goodbye."
Gramps hung up the phone but stayed where he was, humming to himself like he sometimes did when he found something he was looking for in his research.
Shigeru sighed and turned off his game before standing. If he left his gramps to it, he'd be there for hours. So it was up to him to snap him out of it.
"Grampa?"
"Oh! Sorry, Shigeru," he chuckled. "I got a bit lost in thought."
"I know," he told him.
He got another one of those looks for answering like he did, but luckily he didn't get in trouble. His gramps only shook his head and told him to get ready for bed before walking to his office with a smile, saying something about peas while he did.
Why was everyone he knew so weird?
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"What do you mean Amy's not coming back?!"
Satoshi felt like he'd just tripped and fallen down as he stared at his mama in horror.
Amy was his best friend! She couldn't leave!
"Oh, Satoshi," she smiled and kneeled down. "She won't be gone forever."
"Then why can't she come back now?"
"She's going to learn about something very special- something that she can't learn here, but it's going to take some time."
"Then-...Then I wanna learn too!"
If it meant he could be with Amy instead of stupid Shigeru, then he'd do it! It would be great! He could see new places and new pokemon, and they'd have lots of fun!
His mama's eyes went wide, and then she was laughing.
"Mama! I'm serious!"
"I know, Sweetie," she smiled softly once she'd stopped laughing, running a hand through his hair. "And I think it's wonderful that you want to stay close to your friend, but what Amy is learning is going to be very hard- much harder than what you're learning in school right now. I don't think you'd like it very much."
"I might," he pouted.
Even if it was hard work...
"Hmm...how about this then? We'll wait until Papa comes back, and then we can ask him what he thinks. Sound good?"
"...I guess so."
Plus, it would probably be bad if him and Mama moved without Papa knowing. He'd be really worried about them.
"Great! Now, it's time for good boys to get ready for bed. If you're done before I finish tidying up the kitchen, I'll see if Amy's mama will agree to let the two of you talk on the phone for a bit tomorrow."
"Okay!"
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Before I knew it, a little over a month had already gone by.
We visited Rota at the end of March, pretty much right at the beginning of Spring. Now it was a few days into May, and the Kingdom was almost as wired as it had been during the Aura Festival. To be fair, there was a good reason for it.
Today was Princess Eileen's eighteenth birthday.
Something I'd come to learn during my stay here was that the people paid very close attention to Princess Eileen. When I'd asked Alastair about it, he said it was because she was almost identical to Queen Rin- the same queen who had ruled during the time of Sir Aaron. Even her mother, Queen Alicia, didn't resemble Queen Rin as much as the princess, so the people had taken it as a sign to expect Eileen to become just as memorable.
Talk about pressure.
To her credit, she took all the praise and scrutiny with a level of poise and grace that I knew for sure I never would have been able to achieve when I'd been eighteen. Honestly, the whole royal family could noble as easily as blinking. It was kind of amazing.
"Ouch."
"I'm almost done, Lady Rose. Luckily the dress didn't need too much adjusting, but you'll probably outgrow it by next month. Such a shame, it suits you quite nicely..."
I tried not to fidget.
Dresses hadn't been something I'd worn often in my last life. Actually, I could probably count the number of times I'd actually worn a fancy dress on one hand. Now I was decked out in a cutesy yet still ridiculously extravagant one the likes of which I could only remember seeing in Korean manhwas and was feeling really out of my depth.
"Can't I just wear my ceremonial robe? Gen's wearing his..."
The Aura Guardians didn't have a uniform exactly, but throughout history, a lot of them tended to wear replicas of Sir Aaron's outfit- or outfits based on it -in honor of him. Since Riley and I were still apprentices, we actually weren't allowed to do that yet, but fortunately, some inspired soul further up the line had had the foresight to anticipate such a situation. Strangely enough, the inspiration for our robes was said to come from Sinnoh- or at least what was now known as Sinnoh. Back then, it was actually known as Hisui.
Something about the name had tugged at my before memories, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember why.
Anyway, from what Alastair told me, one of the first known aura users was said to have come from there, though a lot of details have since been lost. However, there were just enough hints of them sprinkled throughout recovered documents to at least give the rumor some weight. Due to that, Rota itself tended to have good relations with Sinnoh, and a few Aura Guardians chose to establish the Lucario Kingdom there decades back.
Honestly, it was really interesting to learn about all of this. The anime and games never even came close to covering some of the things I'd learned about aura and the Aura Guardians in this life.
I was brought out of my thoughts at the soft titter that escaped the tailor as she made the last few adjustments.
"You know very well why you can't," she smiled.
"...Yeah, I know," I sighed.
Mama, Princess Eileen, and Queen Alicia were cooing and giggling at me from the corner, and I couldn't quite stop a half-resigned, half-fond smile from slipping onto my face.
The first few days of our stay in Aldoran Castle had been admittedly tense.
I don't think I could ever properly explain just how respected and valued the Aura Guardians were by the kingdom, regardless of their declining numbers. In terms of social hierarchy (which, yeah, should have probably figured was still a thing here), we were second only to the royal family. Uncle Augustine was high on the ladder himself as an established scholar and regional professor, and Mama and Papa ranked just below him since they were our family. It had all been kind of overwhelming to learn- and accept - that, at least in Rota, we were all pretty much modern-day nobility. That meant that mealtimes with the royal family weren't part of a special event but rather something we could, and should, expect every day.
Every day. What was even my life now?
In most cases, all of this wouldn't even matter, but the moment I agreed to train as an Aura Guardian under Alastair, we became official residents of Rota due to some really old laws that no one had felt the need to change. I could tell Mama and Papa had been just as disconcerted as I was about the whole thing, but they relaxed a bit when we were told that while Rota was recognized as its own kingdom, it was also considered part of Kanto's territory and would therefore not affect our citizenship in any way. A bit odd, but this was a land of super-powered monsters you could carry around in your pocket, so I supposed there were stranger things.
At least Uncle Augustine seemed to get a kick out of it, but he'd basically just been granted Kantonian citizenship with next to none of the paperwork or wait time usually needed, so I couldn't blame him.
So yeah, strange and somewhat questionable legal matters aside, for the first few days, mealtimes had been really tense, and we hadn't spoken much. Uncle faired a little better- probably because he was constantly meeting up with people that many would consider celebrities in their own right -but even he seemed to tread more carefully than usual. However, they were all such kind and surprisingly grounded people that it didn't take long for us to warm up to them. Queen Alicia, in particular, seemed very happy to have us. She often whisked my mother off for something or other, and one of the maids said they'd gone shopping in town once. Which, honestly? Good for them. I always thought Mama needed more friends than just Ash's mom and Queen Alicia seemed to have been kind of lonely before we came along.
Although it did make me wonder about Mama's old friends. She had to have had some, right? Did they just not keep in contact when she left Kalos? Papa too, now that I thought about it. Other than Uncle Augustine, neither of them had ever mentioned any other friends or family. Seriously, if I'd had to rely solely on information I'd gained in this life, I would have never even suspected that Papa had a brother.
I already knew that Papa and Chairman Rose had had a falling out, even if the details of why weren't ever made clear, but...what about Mama? As far as I knew, Aurelia Sycamore had never existed. Not in the anime, not in the games, and not in the manga.
Was it just that she wasn't considered important enough to include? Or was there another reason why she was never mentioned?
I winced as I felt the prick of a needle again and inwardly shook my head. In the end, it didn't matter. She was my mother in this life, and I'd grown to love her just as much as my first. I was lucky to have her. Besides, even if there was a reason for her to pretty much drop everything and move to Kanto, it wasn't like I'd be able to find out any time soon- especially if that reason was something they'd feel the need to keep from me at my current age. Maybe I could try asking before leaving on my journey, but there was no point in dwelling on it right now.
"Aaand finished!"
Finally!
"Excellent work, as always," Queen Alicia smiled.
"Aww, she's so cute~!" Princess Eileen giggled.
"Isn't she?" Mama gushed. "I never imagined I'd see her in such a dress."
I could feel my face grow hot as they continued but did my best to grin and bear it. They were so happy right now that I didn't want to ruin it.
"Thank you for the lovely gift, Lady Rose!" Eileen beamed before smiling shyly. "I know we haven't known each other long, but our time together has been enough for me to begin to wonder if this is what it would be like to have a younger sister. Now, I've finally had the experience of dressing up and simply having a good time."
...And this was why I hadn't been able to refuse her request for a "birthday present."
I could see that Mama was really enjoying it too. I wasn't going to deny her the chance to see her daughter dressed up in a cute outfit just because said outfit was a style outside of my comfort zone. It was just for a day, and they'd be happy for a long time afterward. I could deal with it.
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"...Aren't they taking a while?"
"Patience, Gen. You'll come to find that preparation for these sorts of events always tends to take longer than expected, and Amelia agreed to wear the dress Her Majesty and Her Highness bought for her. She will need help to put it on, unlike your robes."
"Yes, Master."
Alastair didn't bother holding back a small smile when he felt Gen start fidgeting again after only a scant few minutes had passed.
This past month had seen a subtle, but not unwelcome, change to his oldest student.
Years ago, he'd come across a boy during his yearly trip to Sinnoh. The boy had been hungry, hurt, and exhausted but had such a pure, determined aura that it was a wonder none of the local Lucario had picked him up. While nursing him back to health, he learned that the boy was recently orphaned after an unfortunate accident befell his home, and after only a few days in his care, the boy begged to be taken along, claiming that he had nothing left for him there.
Honestly, even if he hadn't sensed the aura potential, he doubted he would have had the heart to leave the boy behind.
To this day, Gen claimed he had saved his life and was determined to repay him.
While he would never deny that Gen was an attentive and promising student, he was too serious for his age. Alastair would be the first to admit he was strict and always pushed for improvement, but he knew the importance of a child being allowed to be a child- even if it was only once in a while. The problem was that Gen always, always strove to be the epitome of a perfect apprentice, often forgoing his own needs and wants in order to achieve that impossible image and forgetting that it was okay for him to falter and make mistakes. It had honestly worried him more than once, but it seemed like no matter how he tried to approach the topic, Gen only seemed to take it as a rebuke and was even harder on himself in turn. Gaining Riolu as a partner had helped a bit- at the very least, the young pokemon managed to get into situations that required Gen to step away from training for a while -but it probably wouldn't have been until Gen had an apprentice of his own that he could finally begin to break free of that mindset (and he prayed that there would be someone to give his student both that joy and opportunity).
Then, Amelia Rose had come along.
Where Gen's aura was pure and determined, Amelia's was warm and steadfast. She had a zest and wonder for life that wouldn't be unusual in someone who had stood at the edge of death and survived. She was ever curious about the world around her and explored anything she could whenever she had a moment to herself- much to the resignation of her mother's stoutland who always seemed to take it upon himself to watch over her when she did.
(He made a note to himself to keep a closer eye upon her during the next Aura Festival, lest Mew try to whisk her away for who knows how long)
At first, he'd been concerned that she might try to push herself just as much as Gen in an effort to keep her promise to work hard or that her curiosity might lead her to try to use her aura unsupervised, but in that aspect, she demonstrated unexpected consciousness. She would do her best to complete the tasks she was given, but never at the expense of her health and safety. She took heed of his warnings and didn't seem to be growing impatient at reviewing and refining the basic skills she'd need if she were eventually going to practice on her own. Overall, she was pleasantly mature in regard to her Aura Guardian training while still displaying a refreshing and eager desire to learn.
As things stood, he'd been fortunate enough to even have one student, so he knew he'd lucked out by having two- and that both were exceptional in their own ways.
"Your younger pup is coming."
"Varrick," he admonished.
"What? You're not denying it."
He sighed. Sometimes he wondered where his once solemn partner picked up this sense of cheek, but then he remembered who else he had on his team, and it all made sense.
At the very least, he could refrain from making comments like those where unwelcome ears might hear them. Gen was almost at the point where he could pick up aura speech without having to focus first, and Arceus forbid Amelia's father caught wind of it somehow. When it came to his family, the man reminded him of an aggron protecting its territory.
A rather apt description, now that he thought about it. Peony Rose had once been Champion of the Galar region, after all.
He brought himself out of his thoughts when he felt the group Amelia was in round the corner and join them at the entrance to the main balcony, though there was a split second of confusion at the moment of silence that followed.
Then-
"You look like a mix between a drifblim and a slurpuff- erk!"
"Lord Gen!"
"S-Sorry! I-I'm so sorry! I spoke without thinking!"
That! That right there was the change he'd been thinking about before his thoughts had gotten side-tracked.
Gen had kept his distance from her at first. After their "disastrous" introduction courtesy of Riolu, he'd kept their few conversations as formal as he could, only offering a few words or tips in passing before going off to train some more on his own. She'd been understandably confused the first few times it had happened, but rather than get upset when it continued- like one might expect a young girl to become -one day after he'd dismissed the two of them for lunch, she came up to him and asked if she could meet his team. Not seeing any reason to deny her, he complied.
It took Amelia ten minutes to properly introduce herself to his pokemon. It only took one for Gen to remember why he'd been so out of sorts to forget his etiquette lessons when they'd met. That was also the first time Alastair had seen her unique (and dangerous- so very, very dangerous if the wrong people knew about it) ability to understand pokemon at work. It was fascinating, and he had no doubt it would be a great advantage for her in the future- both as a trainer and as a Guardian, but as mature as Gen was (and tried to be) he was still just a boy. He wasn't going to be thinking about it like that. He was only going to see how cool it was and wonder what kinds of things the pokemon around him were saying.
His oldest was a very curious individual himself. He would approach Amelia of his own volition if only to assuage that curiosity.
And he had.
Of course, once he stopped avoiding her, it hadn't taken long for him to catch on to Amelia's more adventurous spirit, and Alastair could only smile as the same protective tendencies he'd seen Gen display towards his partner began to be applied to Amelia as well- only Amelia had the distinct advantage of not having to listen to him the way Riolu did and therefore managed to pull him away from what he was doing much more frequently. He could swear she was doing it on purpose sometimes, especially when she and the young aura pokemon seemed to work in tandem.
Of course, it wasn't all teasing and mischief.
"Ahaha! That's awesome! What should I be called, then? Drifluff? Slurblim?"
"Amelia..."
"I mean, this dress is kinda poofy, Mama. I wouldn't be surprised if a passing flock of altaria mistook me for one of them."
Amelia was quick to support him if she thought he needed it- like drawing attention to herself whenever it seemed he might start focusing too much on his perceived mistakes.
"Amelia, please."
"Of course, you'd be the cutest altaria of them all, wouldn't you?" Peony laughed, picking her up and spinning around.
"Peony, don't encourage her. Her Majesty and the Princess chose that outfit-"
"Aww, we're just having a bit of fun," he soothed. "We're not saying it looks bad, right, my little rookidee?"
"Right! It's really cute!"
"Hmm. Personally, I think mareep or wooloo would be a better description," Professor Platane murmured.
"Brother, I do not need you joining in."
"Your reactions are half the reason why I do."
"Why are you still here?"
"I'm on vacation."
"For over a month?"
Laughter interrupted the conversation.
"My, how lively!" Queen Alicia said in between chuckles, delight clear as day in her voice. "I can feel the love between all of you. Don't you think so, Eileen?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Now, as much fun as this has been, we should probably get going. As we'll also be introducing Amelia to Rota as an Aura Apprentice today, I have no doubt the celebration will go on for quite some time. Best to start things off sooner rather than later, don't you agree?"
"Yes, you're right. I'm terribly sorry-"
"You have nothing to apologize for, Aurelia. Family is family, and yours is very sincere. I'm always happy to see it."
"I-...Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I've already said you can call me-..."
"I think I like drifluff best," Amelia decided from where she was now standing next to Gen.
"I-...what?"
"My species name," she clarified. "I'm a driffluff. Sounds foofy- like the dress. What do you think, Risette?"
Oh, so that little troublemaker was here too. She must have been the one to egg Varrick on earlier.
"Veon! Sylvi syl!"
"I guess it could do with a few more ribbons..."
While he knew opening his eyes right now would be a rather fruitless endeavor without his glasses, he couldn't help feeling curious.
"Does she really look as Gen said?" he asked his partner in a low murmur.
"You will be sad you missed it," was the snickered response.
The switch from aura sight to regular sight was as natural as breathing, but he didn't think he'd ever get used to how blurry the world looked with his natural, unaided vision. It always left him feeling vulnerable and frustrated. That being said, while the details were lost to him, he was going to guess that the pastel-colored puffball moving ahead of him was Amelia.
...For the first time in many, many years, he felt the slightest hint of regret for using the times he donned his ceremonial armor for aura-sight training and leaving his glasses behind.
"Told you."
He was also beginning to see why Riolu was growing up to be such a rascal as well if this was the example Lucario was setting for him.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
The party, much like Queen Alicia had predicted, had gone well into the night and possibly until morning- though I wasn't too sure about the last part since I'd been asleep. King Auberon had actually found Riley, Riolu and I passed out by a fountain where we'd been doing our best to stay awake and failing (I'd forgotten how difficult it was to do so as a child) and brought us back to the castle.
I was also about ninety percent sure there was a picture of us floating around between them now, but that was fine. They'd totally earned it by not leaving us out there to suffer the consequences of our actions.
Uncle Augustine finally went back to Kalos the week after, but he made sure to give me yet another parting gift before he left: a ducklett-themed raincoat. He'd also asked if I'd be willing to translate for him once in a while, though he emphasized that it would only be if it was important and only if I wanted to. Honestly, he was so sweet and protective about making sure I knew he would never force me to do something I didn't want to that I could only laugh and give him a hug.
He was the best uncle ever, I swear.
I had to admit it felt a little strange without him for the first couple of days, but that was probably because I'd gotten used to him being there in person instead of on a screen. His research and work as a professor usually kept him from visiting and always pulled him back sooner rather than later whenever he did manage it. This was the longest amount of time he'd ever spent with us. Yes, I knew it was most likely due to my revelation that he'd extended his stay to begin with, even if he never said so himself, but that didn't mean I couldn't wish it had lasted a bit longer.
I liked it when my family was together.
To be fair, I had very little time to dwell on it. Much like Master Alastair had warned, Aura Guardian training was to be taken seriously, even for a now seven-year-old like me. Ending up completely drained by the end of each day had quickly become the new normal.
Mornings were dedicated to physical training.
To his credit, Alastair had started me off lightly. However, as I had already been a pretty active kid in this life (the lack of technology I'd been so used to could be a great motivator for going outside, though Ash and the fact that there were pokemon were equally strong ones), he quickly noticed that I could handle more and increased the time and pace accordingly and as I got used to it. Now, I spent about an hour walking briskly around the castle's private grounds before having to stop. That part actually wasn't too bad. The forest was really pretty in the mornings, and Master's sawsbuck, Percival, was always there to keep an eye on me.
Getting to ride him back was a plus, too- especially while he'd been in his Spring form.
Contrary to what I'd seen before, sawsbuck antlers didn't just spontaneously change from one day to the next- especially if they belonged to a trainer who had settled in one particular area. Much like regular trees, it was a gradual process more akin to the changing of seasons (one of the reasons why they were a favorite of meteorologists and environmentalists alike). So when we'd arrived, Percival's antlers had been in full bloom- which was when Uncle Augustine taught me yet another bit of pokemon trivia that set this world apart from what I remembered.
Apparently, you could tell a lot about sawsbuck from the state of their antlers alone.
Health could be determined by looking at their flowers, leaves, and even the antlers themselves. Shriveled flowers or dry leaves in Spring or Summer Forms were signs of poor health or illness. Burnt looking leaves or losing too many of them too quickly were red flags for Autumn Form sawsbuck. Heavily cracked or chipped antlers that were slow to heal, or didn't heal at all, were how you could tell for Winter Form- although that one could also be applied to the other forms.
Age could be determined by the size as well as how much grew on them. Spring Form on a relatively young or newly evolved sawsbuck looked vastly different than on an older, more experienced one. Even while in full bloom, the former looked a lot like how I remembered them from the games: three or four pink flowers on a couple of skinny, almost stick-like antlers. For the latter, their antlers were thicker and, in some cases, had more branches (although trainers would usually file them down as those extra branches could get cumbersome in battle). They also had a lot more flowers, so it was almost like looking at a mini cherry blossom tree. Once they entered the late stage of their lives, the size would remain but the growth would decrease.
Strength was more straightforward, yet still somewhat harder to determine in the wild due to lack of material. Simply put, the tougher and denser the antler, the stronger the sawsbuck. As one might imagine, however, antler pieces weren't exactly easy to get ahold of. In fact, it was only thanks to trainer-owned sawsbucks that that discovery had been made at all. Luckily, there were other ways to determine that particular aspect.
Uncle Augustine had then started to go on a tangent on how wonderfully dynamic pokemon were even among the same species, but Mama had stopped him before he'd gotten too into it. Still, he'd gotten his point across, and I was able to use that information to make my own observation of Percival.
The lush, vibrant flowers and leaves growing on sturdy, branching antlers meant that this was one sawsbuck you didn't want to underestimate.
He was actually really nice, though.
"I don't think I'd mind riding a pokemon on the ground if they were like you," I sighed as I settled in for the trip back. "Stoutland always goes so fast I feel like I'm going to fall off, and while Rajah is a lot more careful, it's too high for me."
"Humans don't normally tend to ride mooland," he snorted softly. "Although I hear daioudou are fairly popular as transportation in a land to the west."
As I'd noticed before, the thing about speaking to pokemon was that I could use English, Kantonian, Kalosian, or even a mix and it was still understood. I was pretty sure it had to do with whatever allowed them to understand humans in the first place, but it was still interesting to experience. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work the same the other way around (hence why I'd heard stoutland and copperajah's Kantonian names when Percy had spoken), but just the fact that I could have a conversation at all was a win in my book.
"Well, good for them, I guess. I'm still going to prefer flying until I see if you're the norm or the exception to land travel."
"As you should. Reserving judgment until you have more information or experience on which to base a decision is a wise course of action. It should aid you greatly once you become a Guardian."
I smiled at the confidence he had in that (and maybe a little at how formal he was) and pressed my forehead against his neck.
"Thanks, Percy."
He huffed but didn't protest the nickname.
Yeah. He was nice.
Once we got back, it was time for more physical. There wasn't any one specific thing or fighting style that I needed to learn ("We are Guardians, Amelia. Our main focus will always be our Aura.") but Alastair, ever the thorough teacher, did at least make sure to introduce me to a few things with the promise of further instruction once I had a good grasp on the basics. For now, it was just exercise to make the body stronger and things I could see leading into actual weight training once I was ready for it.
Right after that was meditation (the best time for it was after you've worked your body, according to him). Riley and Riolu, who did their meditation while I did my physical, would then go off to complete their other half, no doubt receiving their lessons from Alastair while I was off running.
I had to say, for taking me on so suddenly, he was doing a pretty good job balancing two students at such different stages of training.
Once we were done, it was usually time for lunch, where I would get to spend some time with Mama, Papa, and the Royal Family before it was off to lessons with some private tutors.
Let me tell you, as someone who had grown up and studied in an American public school system, the experience was...weird but nice.
I felt more pressure to do well since I was literally their only student (Riley had his own instructors), but I also felt like I...learned better? Even taking my more mature mind into account, I still felt like I was picking stuff up faster than I had in my last life. I honestly didn't know how to explain it, but I wasn't complaining. There was enough new stuff to learn about this world and the pokemon in it that even being familiar with the subjects that weren't different wasn't giving me much of an advantage.
So, yeah, private tutors were great. I actually felt a little guilty for having them when I knew Ash and Gary were probably sitting in Pallet Town's schoolhouse instead.
Of course, Mama had originally planned on enrolling me into one of Rota's schools, but Queen Alicia had balked (as much as a queen could, anyway) and immediately protested. Even telling her that we were only staying until Alastair thought I'd be able to manage to learn from home wasn't enough to deter her. In fact, it only made her more determined to make sure I took advantage of every second I could. While she was passionately explaining how important it was for a future Aura Guardian to have the best education possible, Riley took a moment to quietly inform us that there was no use arguing and to just go with it. Master Alastair just nodded solemnly and continued eating while Eileen and King Auberon gave little helpless smiles.
The queen was both impressive and mildly terrifying. Still, we knew she had my best interests at heart, so that's why we'd ended up agreeing in the end.
And so, both my training and education continued on in earnest.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Zzzt.
Zzzt...
ZZZTT!
"Okay, okay, I'm up." I sighed. "No chance of sleeping in even today, huh?"
I felt light steps scurry up my arm and settle on my chest. "Nope."
"So mean," I pouted, though my smile betrayed me as I absentmindedly reached out and began petting my self-appointed alarm clock.
A very soft and fuzzy alarm clock she was, too.
"Alastair says there's a lot to go over with you even if you aren't training."
"Mmm..."
. . . . . . . .
"Zzz..."
Bzzt!
"I'm up!" I groaned before finally getting out of bed. "Did you somehow find an electabuzz or something to mooch off of, Clarisse?"
"A couple of raichu, actually. Today's a good day to build up my stores."
Oh, that's right. Today...
"I can't believe it's been a year," I sighed.
Back when we'd first agreed to stay, a year had seemed so long, but now it was the day of the Aura Festival again, and it suddenly felt far too short as well.
"Are you sad that you'll be leaving tomorrow?"
I mulled over the question as I pulled my apprentice robes out of my now near-empty drawer.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to miss being here," I began slowly.
I thought of the people I'd gotten to know- Princess Eileen and the King and Queen, the palace staff, Riley and Master Alastair -and smiled softly.
"But even if Master Alastair didn't make it mandatory to come back every few months, I'd still come and visit, you know. At the risk of sounding cliche, you're all pretty much family now."
"Aww...That is kind of sappy."
I laughed and quickly finished getting dressed before walking over and offering my arm to the tiny electric pokemon. Clarisse didn't hesitate to scamper up to my shoulder.
"Onward, mighty steed!"
"I shouldn't have introduced you to those cheesy old fantasy movies," I told her but made no move to get her off as I left the room.
"Yeah, well, too late for regrets and all that. Now less talky, more walky."
"It's times like these that make me wonder how Master managed to get so many weirdos on his team."
"Don't be deceived, he's the weirdest one of all."
"Clarisse, while I may not understand you the same way Amelia does, we've been partners long enough for me to know when you're saying ridiculous things again," Master Alastair sighed.
I blinked and looked to the side, where Alastair was just walking up to my door. "Oh! Good morning, Master. I thought you were waiting for us in the courtyard."
"I was, but someone was taking a bit too long, so I thought I should come to lend a hand in case she was having trouble," he explained with a pointed look towards Clarisse.
"I knew I shouldn't have gone for that second raichu..."
"Late breakfast, apparently," I smirked.
"Traitor! Betrayal! After all I've done for you!"
"Mmm. I suspected as much," he smiled back before offering his own arm to her.
Despite the huff she let out, Clarisse still accepted the offer and soon settled atop his head.
"You're lucky I like you, but you can bet your hair is gonna be sticking up later."
"If you're going to static my hair again, I'll have you training with Bernard later."
"I can take'm."
"Keep in mind he's still upset about your last little prank."
"...Okay, fine. You win- this time."
I laughed at the exchange. It really said a lot about how long they'd been together that they understood each other so well without Master Alastair actually knowing what was being said.
I could only hope I'd have that sort of partnership in the future.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
The rest of the morning passed quickly, and before I knew it we were all standing at the entrance to the kingdom.
"Make sure you keep practicing," Alastair reminded me.
"I will," I assured him with a grin.
"We'll be by in a couple of months," Mama was saying to Queen Alicia. "Thank you so much for your hospitality up until now."
"We were delighted to have you!" Queen Alicia. "The castle hasn't been so lively since Eileen was a child!"
"It was a refreshing change of pace," King Auberon agreed with a chortle. "Our doors will always be open to you and yours."
"So make sure you visit often!" Princess Eileen added.
I pulled my attention from their conversation in order to face the last person in our group- and the hardest goodbye.
"I know Master already said it, but keep working hard," Riley said quietly. "And try not to get into trouble. I'm not going to be around to keep an eye on you anymore."
"I'll try," I said in response to his request. "But only if you take care of yourself."
He smiled and nodded.
Two days ago, Alastair had brought up the topic of Riley going on a journey. He was already thirteen- three years past the usual starting age for Kanto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh -and had started training with Alastair when he'd been even younger than I had. According to our master, he was well overdue for the chance to try things on his own. And as dedicated as he was to being an Aura Guardian, Riley was still a kid- and almost all kids liked the idea of adventure. It hadn't taken him long at all to make a decision.
Only now, that meant that it might be a while before I saw him again...
"Oh!" I suddenly brightened as I thought of something. "I know! Mama, Papa, can Gen have our home number? That way he can call us while he's traveling!"
"Sure," Papa agreed with a grin.
He blinked and looked up at Papa with wide eyes. "I-...what? Just-...Just like that?"
"Why not?" he laughed. "After all the trouble you've gone through looking out for Little Rookidee you're pretty much family now, you know."
"You've been such a good older brother to Amelia," Mama nodded in agreement before giving him a gentle but teasing smile. "And I've always wanted a son."
"W-Wait, I-"
"It'll be easier if you just accept it," I snickered and gave in to the desire to hug him. "Mama and Papa can be really stubborn when they want to be."
Riley had never told me how he had ended up with Master Alastair, but I had my guesses.
And I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to give him a loving family since it had come up like this.
"...Thank you."
"Make sure you call us whenever you get a chance. We'll be waiting to hear from you, Gen."
I felt myself soften at the slight tremble I felt, and if his breath hitched in an effort to hold back what sounded like a sob, I wasn't going to say anything.
"I will."
It was funny how these things worked out, I thought to myself later that night back home in Pallet Town.
If I hadn't learned how to understand pokemon, we would have gone to the festival a year ago. So much had come to pass precisely because we hadn't gone that it was hard to feel upset over the fact that I'd realized I'd somehow missed the tournament again this year too.
If anything, I was glad.
With how lonely and reserved Riley had been when we'd first met, knowing that I'd come so close to not meeting him at all made me grateful that things had happened the way they had. I learned I had aura, started training with it, and made some new friends and family.
All before I'd even started my journey!
"If things are this eventful already, I wonder what it's going to be like when I'm actually out there?" I wondered.
I honestly couldn't wait to find out.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo ~ Chapter End
Yeah, slightly cheesy ending there, but I wanted to wrap this up so I could post it today.
I'll keep the ending notes short because my game got delivered while I was finishing it, so now I'm off to stream some Pokemon Scarlet. Feel free to come and hang out if you want! I did my best to avoid spoilers, so I know next to nothing about this new region (except Wiglett, but there's a tumblr post talking about that if you're curious).
You can find me on Twitch under the same name: ForestWhisper3.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, take care and until next time!
P.S.
Information about Alastair's team can also be found on Tumblr. I'll give the run-down in the next chapter, but if you want the info now (as well as a picture for what Alastair himself looks like), it's there.